


One Last Mission

by Firekitten



Category: RWBY
Genre: Follows the V8 canon veeeery loosely, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:48:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28385022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firekitten/pseuds/Firekitten
Summary: All her life, Ruby wondered what had become of her mother on that last, fateful mission that took her away. The wrong question to Jinn might just provide the answer she’s sought for so long.But knowledge always comes with a cost, and this time, the price is too high to pay.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 33





	One Last Mission

**Author's Note:**

> Been holding onto this one for over a month now. My entry for STRQ week, Day 2! Prompt used: "Team Mom".
> 
> I came up with this idea a few months ago and decided to flesh it out into a story.

The end of the world was held in five simple words:

“What knowledge do you seek?”

Panic filled her headspace as Ruby struggled to break the grip of the Grimm arms holding her, pleading with all she had, “Jinn, don’t answer her!”

As the ethereal being spied her over Salem’s head, she could almost pretend the look on her blue face was sympathetic. “I told you the next time I was summoned, I would be answering a question. I never said it would be yours.”

“But-!”

Any further protest she may have had was cut short, as with a wave of Salem’s hand, Ruby suddenly found herself pitching face first into the ground. Her aura, already flagging, crackled across her face, and she felt the sting of the blow, the dizziness in her brain. She heard her name get yelled by more than one voice – blending together in a garbled cry that she couldn’t begin to decipher. Had that been her uncle’s raspy shout? Weiss’ piercing wail? Jaune’s weakened whimper? She couldn’t even begin to tell.

The first thing she could did understand as the ringing in her head dimmed was Salem’s commanding tenor, “-Trust that none of the rest of you will think to interrupt me.” Then, to the genie, “I apologize for their manners Jinn. There will be no further outbursts. Now, you have one question left.”

“That is correct.”

“A pity, that, but I can work with it.” A deep breath, then, “I wish to know: where is the Relic of Choice hiding?”

The shakiness in Ruby’s vision cleared just in time for her to see the way the thick blue smoke filled the room, clouding everyone else out of view until there was nothing but herself and the vision before her. The familiar sight of Ozpin’s circular office greeted her, nearly the same right down to the cogs turning from above with the nostalgia of easier times. The only thing out of place to her own memory was the desk, crafted out of wood rather than the metalwork and glass she knew.

Behind it, a much younger Ozpin took shape as more smoke willed him into existence.

“ _It all started with a plan._ ” Jinn’s omnipresent voice filtered in from what seemed to be everywhere.

Ruby heard footsteps approaching from behind, spotting how the last wisps faded into a stark white cloak as the person stopped beside her. Already knowing who she’d see, it took all of her strength to look up.

There Summer Rose, her mother, stood. Decked head to toe in combat gear and more serious than she ought to be, her voice held little of the warmth Ruby recalled. There was only firm resignation as she spoke, “You know this is our best chance, Oz. My semblance is the only alternative we have. You have to trust me.”

“I do.” Her former headmaster heaved a deep sigh, laying his arms across his desk. “But I can’t ask this of you.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re not.” Was her mother’s clipped reply.

He shook his head. “We don’t even know if this intel is fresh. It could very well be years before she enacts it. Or it might even be a red herring. A way to get the relic out in the open.”

“And if it’s legitimate? We can’t take those chances. And we certainly can’t hope for ten years when we might not even have tomorrow.” She waved her arms outwards, her cloak billowing around her with the impressive gesture. “If an attack is coming, the relic **cannot** be here. You know as well as I do that if she gets Choice, this is all over.”

“Summer, _please_. Consider what’s at stake. Not for the world, but for yourself.”

Her mother took several steps forward, until she was right in front of the desk. “I have. That’s why I have to do this. I refuse to let my children grow up in a war and I _especially_ refuse to lose another family.” She reached out, placing a hand on his forearm. “So please Oz, let me do my part.”

Though his eyes were hidden behind the glare of his glasses, Ruby could clearly see the grimace across the old wizard’s face. “Very well. I’ll summon Olivia.”

“Thank you Oz.” Summer said, her body bowing a bit with relief. “Thank you.”

They dissolved away into smoke as Jinn’s voice flooded in once more. “ _And so, with a final goodbye to her loved ones…”_

Ruby sucked in a sharp breath as she found herself in her own home, surrounded by furniture she barely recognized and family pictures on the wall that had long been changed out in her youth when the pain became too much for dad.

It hurt, watching him embrace her now, not even a pinch of worry to his face. “Now don’t you worry. I can handle things until you get back.”

“I won’t.” Her mom replied as she pulled away, reaching down where Yang was clinging to her leg. “Because my big girl is going to make sure daddy stays in line, aren’t you?”

“Hehe! Yeah!”

“Mama!” Ruby’s eyes fell back to the floor, where her smaller self stood, barely three years old and still wobbly on her feet. “I wanna upsies!”

Summer reached down, scooping her up into her other arm, cradling them both against her. “Mommy’s gonna be back soon, she’s just got to save the world first, okay?” She kissed the tops of their heads in turn, murmuring, “I love you.”

“… _and with false reassurances…_ ”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Her uncle asked as walked her to the port where the ferry to the mainland was waiting.

“No, no. It’s a simple thing, really.” She laughed. “Tai’s going to have more of a handful than me. I can trust you to watch out for them while I’m gone, can’t I?”

Qrow sniggered as she looked up at him beseechingly. “Alright, alright, no need for the puppy eyes.” He wrapped an arm over her shoulders. “I’ll hold the fort until you get back.”

“I know you will. I’ll be back before you know it, promise.”

_“…The brave huntress set off on a journey that even Oz knew not her path._ ” The next scene was brief but haunting, seeing her mother standing at the aft of the ship, watching Patch disappear on the horizon as silent tears tracked down her face.

“ _Her travels led her far from home and not without strife. Alone, she faced the monstrosities of the world drawn by the hidden relic she was transporting. Worried of the weight she carried, she rested little and moved often, always straying from towns whenever possible. Yet, it was neither her exhaustion nor the Grimm who would begin her end.”_

“Hey there sweetheart.” A tavern blinked into view, a man who looked more like a grizzly bear leering down at her mom. “Those are some beautiful eyes you got there.”

_“It would be man.”_

The tavern morphed into a grassy field, her mother standing still as she faced the same grizzly man. Beside him, another person appeared next to him. Then another beside them. One by one, the shady characters materialized, until they formed a tight ring around her.

Summer looked left. Then right. Then back at the first man. “Beautiful eyes, huh?”

He grinned wickedly. “Nothing personal doll. They’re just worth yer weight in lien.”

“If only it were your weight in lien, then it _might_ be worth the beating I’m about to give you.” She replied as she reached for the weapon at her hip.

All at once, the mob attacked. Ruby could hardly keep up as she watched her mother weave in and out of strikes from her opponents, her return blows equally devastating but with a tinge of desperation to every movement as she used every opening given to her. But for every person she managed to bring down, two more stood in their place.

“ _She fought valiantly and on a better day, she may have even of been victorious. But fighting is not always about who is stronger._ ” The chilling sound of her mother’s scream sent shivers down Ruby’s back. “ _Sometimes, it’s simply about who is lucky._ ”

She watched the ringleader deliver a swift palm strike that caused her mother to go flying across the field. Energy crackled furiously across her body as she struggled to get back to her feet, more uncoordinated than a newborn deer, and though Ruby knew it had to be a semblance of some kind, she couldn’t say what had actually just been done.

“Alright,” The leader panted, waving to the few still standing. “Clock’s running. Gouge her – _carefully_. Our collector isn’t going to want damaged goods.”

Summer scrambled for her weapon, panic clear on her face as the bounty hunters approached her.

Even as her stomach twisted with sick, Ruby couldn’t look away.

“ _And sometimes…_ ”

Jinn’s voice was nearly overtaken by the windy howl that cut through the field, clouds of black and red appearing in the sky before a figure dropped from the heart of the storm, bringing down a rain of fire and fury as she landed between Summer and her opponents.

“ _…It’s about who will aid you in your greatest time of need._ ”

Ruby had to wonder what her sister was thinking right now. Her own mind seemed to buzz uselessly, unable to comprehend the woman now there. Unable to believe the way Raven rose from her crouch, stepping forward across the scorched grass with a look of ferocity that was a direct mirror to Yang whenever she most wanted to protect someone.

“Branwen.” The man spat the name like a curse.

“Griff. You and your little ragtag team are awfully south this autumn.” Despite her expression, her voice was calm. In control. “Would you care to tell me what your ugly mug is doing in Branwen territory?”

He scoffed, though his eyes strayed warily as her hand rose to her sword. “Just leaving, actually.”

“But boss we can take her and get the-!” One of his lackeys started to protest.

One that was cut off by a solid smack to the back of his head. “Shut yer trap! Only someone who doesn’t value their life would say something that dumb.”

A screech in the distance punctuated that statement, far enough away that there was time, but too close to ignore.

Grimm.

Griff gave the horizon a disdainful look, before snapping his fingers and waving his recovering team into action. “Alright ya lowlifes, lick yer wounds and get along already.” As they started to pick themselves up and retreat, some of them having to help their limping fellows, he gave the bandit one final look. “Enjoy being at the top while you and your lot can, Branwen. It won’t last forever.”

Raven only smiled patronizingly. “We’ll see.” Once they had all disappeared, she shifted her head to the side, asking, “What’d they do, steal your wallet?”

“Hah, funny.” Summer grumbled, only to hiss in pain as another crackle of energy sparked along her frame.

Raven turned, the bravado she carried falling away as quickly as she fell to her knees. “What are you doing here? Didn’t Qrow give you my warning?”

“Actually, what he told me was a _mysterious informant_ tipped him off about there being a suddenly high demand for silver eyes on the black market.” She replied cheekily. Her face smoothed into something softer as the other woman grasped her hand, staring intently down at her palm. From her angle, Ruby couldn’t figure out what was there. “It’s nice to know you care though.”

Raven blinked, before scoffing, “Don’t read too much into it.”

“I also won’t read into your unusually well-timed entrance.”

Despite everything, Ruby couldn’t help but crack a smile. She never knew her mother’s sense of humor was so sarcastically sassy.

The mirth didn’t last long, as another ear-splitting screech drew their attention southward again. Raven frowned, standing and helping Summer to her feet. “Come on. I’ll get you somewhere safe and then I better tail after Griff.”

“Well… getting away might be the hard part. What with this trinket and all.” Summer murmured and from the folds of her cloak, produced the hidden relic.

Raven’s eyes nearly fell out of her head, her voice three octaves higher, “ _What is that doing here?!_ ”

“We’ve got a **_lot_** to talk about.”

“ _And so,_ ” Jinn spoke up as the scene shifted from a field to a forest, where her mother sat on a log while Raven paced to and fro restlessly. “ _With her options limited,_ _Summer informed Raven of the secret plan she and Ozpin had agreed upon to remove the relic from its original housing and relocate it in hopes that their enemy could not so easily discover it._ ”

“How reckless can you get?! Doing this alone? I can’t believe-” Whatever Raven couldn’t believe was cut off by her own frustrated growl.

Her mother averted her gaze to the foliage between her feet. “We couldn’t risk it. The more people who know, the more chances this’ll fail. And I didn’t want Salem to be able to follow any obvious leads.”

She paused in her pacing, turning to her. “So why tell me?”

“Because I have a feeling this is bad news.”

This time, when Summer showed her hand, Ruby got a good look at what had Raven so preoccupied before. Right in the center of her palm was a stain of red glowing numbers. 170:24:32. As she stared at it, she noticed the last number shifting from 32 to 31. Then 30. Then 29.

Ruby felt her throat close up with sudden clarity just as Raven spoke up, “It is. Griff’s semblance is a death counter, but it has a trade-off. He gives away a portion of his lifeline to put a time limit on someone else’s. He’s always been a high-risk, high-reward kind of guy – but even he doesn’t tend to use that trick unless his target’s being particularly difficult.”

“Heh, well that’s a compliment.”

“Summer! This is serious!” She’d started pacing again, a franticness about her as she carried on, “I don’t even know if there’s a way to undo it. No one he’s ever used it on has ever come out of it alive, that’s for sure!” She reached up, gripping her sword tightly. “That’s why I need to go track him down, beat him into turning it off if I have to.”

“And if he can’t?”

“Then I’ll slit his throat.”

The declaration was said with such certainty it made Ruby’s stomach drop, but her mother continued on, nonplussed. “Raven you can’t just murder all your problems away.”

The look she shot her screamed ‘Wanna bet?’

“There’s also no guarantee that’ll work. It might just keep going or, worse than that, go all the way down to zero.”

“Yeah but-”

“But none of it matters.” Summer spoke over her – but what she said next left the world in silence. “Because I never planned to come back after this mission was complete.”

It felt like the ground below her was forever tipping, leaving Ruby permanently unbalanced as she took in those fatal words. Even knowing Jinn couldn’t do so in what she presented, she so desperately wished this was all a lie. Because this couldn’t be real, right? Her mother wouldn’t abandon her family; not like…

Raven’s gaze had darkened considerably. “What are you saying?”

“I thought about it the entire time. I knew when I locked the relic away, I was the biggest liability in all this. If Salem figured out it was me, it wouldn’t take much to get me to talk.” She laughed, but it sounded hollow. “As you’ve always told me Rae, my heart’s a little too big. I’d crack the minute she even so much as _side-eyed_ Yang or Ruby. And if I went home, I’d lead her right to them.” She trailed off, looking down at her hand. “But now with this and you, it solves everything. My connection to this will be gone and you’ll be the key. It’s per-”

Face twisted with rage, Raven crossed the clearing in seconds, gripping Summer by her cloak and yanking her up until her feet didn’t even touch the floor. “DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF RIGHT NOW?!” She shook her vigorously. “You’ve lost your damned mind! You’re asking to **die** Summer!”

“I’m not afraid of that.” Despite hanging in the air, her mother never seemed more steady as she met the other woman’s gaze. “The only thing I fear is failing the people I love. If I have to give my life to make sure theirs aren’t miserable, then so be it.”

“Mom!” The cry left Ruby almost involuntarily, forgetting for a moment she was only a vision.

“You, stupid-!” Raven tossed her down to the dirt. It was hard to tell what emotion she was shaking with, most of her face hidden behind her dark hair and only the grit of her teeth visible. But when she looked up, the sheen in her eyes was obvious. “Do you really think so little of yourself Summer that those who love you won’t miss you when you’re gone?”

Summer stared back, before she lowered her head. “Of course not. You know, it’s funny almost. I thought there was nothing I wanted more than to live my life out as a huntress; but when I became a mom, I found another happiness I wanted to keep just as much. If I could have it both ways, I would take it in a heartbeat.” She rose to her feet, their gazes meeting. “So yes, it tears me up inside, knowing how much our family’s going to hurt when they realize I’m not coming back. It’s really awful of me to put them through that.”

“Then don’t! We’ll figure something else out, okay? So you can stop all this nonsense talk about-”

“ ** _But,_** ” She interrupted, clasping a hand around Raven’s arm, “This is about more than just me and what I want. Everything and everyone is at stake. People I vowed to protect to the end.”

Raven jerked back some, shaking her head. “What do they matter? It’s not like they’ll ever even know.”

“It’s not about the recognition, it’s about doing what’s right.” She sighed, looking down at her hand where the clock was still ticking. “Look, I know you think I’m just throwing away my life – but it’s never been about living long, Raven. It’s about making it count.” She curled her hand, tucking it against her heart. “My story might be ending here, but I never lived it meaninglessly. If this is the last thing I’ll be able to do for everyone, then I’m happy.”

It was strange. Ruby had always known her mother had given her life for the people. Growing up, she’d even idolized it. Wanted to be just like her and all the other heroes of fiction her sister used to say were just like mom. Knew without doubt, that if their positions had been switched, she might even be saying these same exact words.

So why did she so desperately want Raven to change her mother’s mind, right here and now?

Instead, she sighed, the look of acceptance breaking Ruby’s heart. “You’re really not going to change your mind, are you Sums?”

“Afraid not!” She replied, oddly chipper. “So what do you say? One last mission together?”

“Tch.” Raven looked thoughtfully towards the trees, eyebrows drawing down. “…Fine. On one condition.”

“Name it.”

Like the words were a cue, the bandit made good on her name as she suddenly darted forward and faster than Ruby could catch, Raven unclipped the relic from Summer’s belt and leapt backwards. “We’re doing things my way first!”

“Huh-!? Raven!” Summer cried, trying to chase after her – but it was futile for the other woman had already tossed the relic into air, shifting after it. The raven cawed as it flew over the treetops, her mother giving chase as everything fell away into smoke.

“ _It was a desperate hope that had Raven calling upon my sister that day.”_ Jinn orated, the new scene revealing itself like a theater curtain being dropped. The forest slanted upwards, the trees leaning forward with the weight of gravity. On a large boulder that jutted out from the hill’s peak stood Raven. As she peered down from her perch, so did Ruby.

At the base of the hill, her mother stood. She was completely out of breath, one hand pressed against her chest while she braced the other on the trunk of a tree. Still, her gaze did not waver from Raven’s own. “So? What are you going to do now? Force me to cooperate with you?”

Only Ruby heard the snort and scathing grumble, “Don’t think even a relic’s strong enough for that.” She placed the crown atop her head, saying louder, “You can go hermit yourself into whatever corner of this pitiful world you want. But I’ll be damned if I let you just kill yourself.” She tapped the blue jewel in the crest of the diadem. “You in there, choice… creature?”

“You need to say her name.” Summer instructed, seemingly having accepted her fate as she sat down on the ground.

A pause, then Raven said with tentative uncertainty, “Moirai?”

The reaction was instantaneous. The gemstone on the crown suddenly glowing so bright Ruby had to shut her eyes or fear she might go blind. A soft, shifting noise filled her ears, barely perceptible yet definitely there, like the sound of a running hourglass that she could only hear if she held it close. Once the light in her eyelids was gone, she dared a peek, looking around for the ethereal being.

It took her a moment to spot Moirai, lounging atop Raven’s head. Where Jinn was larger than life, she was but a small speck of a thing, barely larger than a blue jay – the same shade as one too. Her face was obscured by a hood that covered most of her face. Upon her back rested a wooden wheel that seemed to of come from a seamstresses’ antique workshop.

The fae rested her hands underneath her chin and in a voice as tiny as she was, asked, “Oh it’s been so long since I’ve been out to play! Whose fate do you wish to change?”

Despite her obvious surprise, Raven didn’t hesitate. “I need you to have Griff release his semblance on Summer.”

Ruby’s heart jumped with hope.

“I’m afraid this is something I cannot do.”

Those words broke it a second time.

Raven’s fingers curled into fists, demanding hotly, “What? Why not?”

“I am only able to complete requests within human possibility.” Moirai explained. “The one you call Griffith Grayson harnesses a semblance of which there is no reverse. The trading of his lifeline to bring death to another is permanent.”

“What if I told you to make Griff stop breathing?”

The wheel on the fae’s back turned once. “It is something I can do, but it will not bring the result you desire.”

Raven’s eyes darted about as she thought. “Then… make it so Summer doesn’t die when the timer runs out!”

“This is something I cannot do.”

“No. Nono _no_.” She shook her head, pacing along the rock.

Moirai hummed. “Is there perhaps another’s fate you wish for I to change?”

“I… I need to think.” Raven muttered.

The fae began to fade away into luminescent glitter. “When you wish upon my services, speak my name once more.”

“There has to be something…!”

“ _Though Raven would try again and again to find a way around this cruel and deadly fate,_ ” The blue fog drifted across the forest, revealing evening had fallen. Raven had settled down on the rock, hunched over. Her hand was pressed against her forehead, mumbling frantically to herself. “ _Even with eternity, she would not have found the answer to Summer’s plight. For there was none_. _And eventually there was no choice left-_ ”

A hand appeared in a cloud of smoke, held out to Raven in clear askance. As she looked up at it, the rest of Summer appeared, looking down at her with a solemn smile. “Come on. We need to go.”

Defeat slumped her shoulders and Raven took her hand.

“- _But for her to accept it._ ” The forest was gone in a blink. “ _With their time limit clear and their destination just barely within reach, they made their way across Anima together.”_ Ruby lifted her head as the sky formed above her, watching a raven coast through the clouds. “ _Alone, the distance would have been impossible for Summer to manage on foot. However, Raven’s transformation, gifted to her from Ozma, and her own kindred linking semblance cleared the many miles they needed to traverse._ ” Rock shot up around her, forming a great cavern. A few feet away, her mother stood, brave and tall as a dozen Grimm all leapt at her at once _“All the while, Summer’s own ability kept their way clear and safe._ ”

A familiar, bright light filled the area and everything disappeared.

_“It was on Summer’s final hour that they finally reached their journey’s end._ ”

Though aged with time, the land that spread before her was one Ruby was shocked to realize she recognized. The stone path had weathered and cracked, vegetation growing over most of the brick and the stairs that had once been so immaculately placed in the face of the rock of the canyon now lay broken and uneven. Yet still, the yellow flowers were still the same, spreading out like a golden blanket across the land and the snow-capped mountains in the distance had the same, unmistakable jagged peaks.

This was the God of Light’s former domain.

A scraping noise drew her attention to the left, seeing her mom huddled on the bottom step. She was trying to draw her hood more tightly around herself. Her face, having lost almost all color, nearly matched the white fabric and her eyes seemed unfocused and dim. Yet, a cawing from above drew her gaze skyward before she struggled to her feet, having to support herself against the rock just to get up.

The minute she let go, she began to fall.

The raven dove and in a flurry of feathers, reformed into human as Raven caught her just in time. “What about stay put don’t you get?”

Despite her failing health, Summer laughed. “Sorry, sorry. Spot anyone?”

“Not a soul.” Raven took on more of her weight, slinging one of her arms over her shoulders. “You were right, no Grimm for miles either. I can’t believe a place like this exists.”

“I wanted to bring Ruby here, one day. This place was always so safe and pure. Without silver eyes, it’s impossible to bypass the Grimm that surround the borders here. But my people would travel here every year to pray to the God of Light and bath our newborns in the fountain. Before, well-” She breathed deeply. “We should get moving.”

Raven snuck a glance at the pale hand laying limp against her collar, expression hardening, “Right.”

The inside of the canyon had seen the most change. The tree was completely gone and the once grandiose lake of a fountain had become nothing more than a mere piece of decorative stone in the center of the area, no larger than the one that had once stood in Beacon’s courtyard. The two were now sitting on the basin’s edge. Raven’s eyes were drawn down to the water, seemingly mesmerized by the random spots of golden light that bloomed across its surface. Her gaze drifted to Summer’s reflection, watching as she pulled out the relic and dropped it into the fountain.

The single ripple that disturbed the surface echoed across Raven’s face, leaving sorrow to settle. “Summer…”

“I’m sorry.”

The apology was so unexpected, both Ruby and Raven looked at her simultaneously – though only Raven could follow with, “For?”

“I had thought,” Her mother’s sentence was broken by a sigh, “Of all the people I knew who would miss me, I wasn’t sure you were still one of them.”

“Oh… I suppose I earned that.”

She shook her head, discreetly rubbing away a tear budding at the corner of her eyes. “I’m sure it feels like I’m just trying to get back at you in the cruelest way possible. I’m sorry for putting you through this. But it’s been nice, really. I’ve missed being around my best friend.”

Before she could say more, a hand was offered to her. She looked to it, then the woman offering it.

“Didn’t I always tell you to save the sentimental speeches for after the mission?” That telltale sheen was back in her eyes.

Summer chuckled wetly, reaching out to clasp Raven’s hand in her own. “I guess I can listen to you just this once.”

When Ruby had first learned what semblances were, she remembered how she had pestered her father all day about every single one he’d ever encountered. Though, he never told her the name of the person it belonged to. It was rude, he had explained, like telling other people’s secrets without their permission. So, Ruby didn’t pry too hard – except for the one she wanted to know the most.

Watching it now, she could hear her dad’s long ago words playing back in her mind.

“Your mom’s semblance was like nothing I’d ever even heard of before. She called it Aura Lock, and that’s basically what it was. She could take a piece of her aura or someone else’s and turn it into a key that she used to lock something else up – and only the person whose aura was used to lock it could unlock it again, even if it was months later. In fact, from what we tested, it didn’t seem to have a time limit at all. As long as whoever was the key was still alive, whatever was locked up would stay that way.”

Red flowed down Raven’s arm, collecting around where their hands were joined. As Summer pulled her hand away, she tugged the aura up with her until, like a rubber band stretched too thin, it snapped away from its original owner. The glowing energy condensed together, taking the shape of a skeleton key, the bow of it designed like Raven’s emblem.

Her father’s narration continued.

“When she first told us, I thought: No way was that useful. But your mom was always creative and smart. She could lock up weapons’ gears so they couldn’t transform. Or stop guns from firing. Or dust canisters from ejecting. One time, she even locked up a beowolf’s jaw so it couldn’t bite. But even when she wasn’t using it on the battlefield, she found other uses. We made a habit of locking away our supplies in tree trunk hollows during long missions or in inn closets when we were in less trustworthy towns.”

As she watched her mom lower the key to the water, the glow of aura spreading delicately along it’s smooth surface and climbing up to overflow along the sides of the rim, the last of her dad’s words faded to memory.

“It’s part of what made her a great leader and an even greater person. She always knew just what to protect.”

The aura dissipated, making the fountain appear no different then before. Summer reached for the water once more, fingers gliding unnaturally along the water as if it had become as solid as ice, crackles of red light following her touch. A perfect, impassable barrier.

In the reflection of the water, Ruby could see the clock as it ticked down into the final ten minutes.

Summer drew back. “Okay. It’s done.” Then, as if gravity had become twice as strong, she drew back further.

Raven caught her before she could topple onto the concrete.

Jinn’s voice, almost forgotten, made Ruby startle as it boomed all around her like a knell. “ _With her mission complete, Summer passed on the last of her duty to Raven._ ”

The scene vanished to white only to partially reform with nothing more than the fountain and the two women, no longer sitting on it, but on the ground before it. Raven’s back was braced against it, looking down at Summer whose head was resting in her lap. The sight tore at Ruby’s soul.

“ _And said goodbye_.”

“You know.” Raven murmured. “There’s still time. I could bring you back.”

“And let this be the last they remember of me?” Her mother’s words were coming out stilted and slow, like she couldn’t quite find the energy to speak. “No. I can’t do that to them.”

“But…”

“It’s okay. Really. I want their last memory of me to be something good to hold onto.” A pause. “You remember what I told you, right?”

She nodded. “I do.”

“Tell it to me.” She urged softly.

“Summer-”

“Please. One more time.”

Raven exhaled heavily, reciting out, “Salem is going to locate a vessel to take in the powers of the four maidens. When she does, the fall maiden will fall and Beacon will be next. When Choice is discovered missing, she’ll turn to Haven for Knowledge. I need to make the spring maiden go missing before this. No matter what.”

Summer hummed in agreement. “If all else fails?”

“Get Knowledge out and keep it from Salem’s hands.”

“Good.” She breathed, eyes falling shut. “You’ll make the right calls, I know it.”

Raven’s laugh was more of a sob. “I don’t know how to do that without you.”

“Sure you do. You did it today. You’ll do it again.”

Ruby felt tears slip down her own face just as they did on Raven’s. The woman bowed her head, praying for an answer, “Why do you have so much faith in me, huh?”

Summer smiled, a bit of that sassiness still shining through. “Can’t say I was wrong, seeing as you’re the one here now.”

“You’re insufferable!” She cried.

“I love you too Rae.” Her head lolled, coming to rest against the other’s stomach. “Hey uh I’m… really tired.”

“Rest, then.” Raven reached out, taking her hand in hers. “I’m right here.”

“Thank you…”

As the two disappeared into smoke, Ruby doubled over, feeling the weight on her chest that had always been present since the loss of her mother become inexplicably heavy.

The last words of Raven’s words trickled in with a breaking whisper:

“Summer? …Summer.”

It all was lost to the static in her own mind, the weight growing and growing until all she could do was scream.

Ruby never saw Salem’s domain reappear into existence as silver light flooded forth from her eyes.

Then there was nothing but darkness.

* * *

Consciousness came back slow to Ruby, spurred on by a high-pitched whistle. Everything came back at a snail’s pace, with the aching of her body and in her head being the most prominent details. The rest of it followed. The warmth and crackle of a nearby fire. The fading scent of Weiss’ expensive perfume clinging to the blanket she was wrapped in. The sound of talk, becoming clearer by the second, around her.

Her sister’s voice was closest and came back in first. “-Think she’ll ever come?”

“Are you going to be okay if she does?” Weiss, somewhere to her left.

“I… don’t know.”

“No matter what happens, we’re here for you.” That was Blake this time, further away. “All of you.”

Ruby blinked away the blurriness in her eyes as she opened them, asking groggily, “For what?”

That turned all attention onto her immediately. Yang, sitting right beside her, exclaimed, “Ruby!”

The noise went straight to her headache. “Too loud.”

“Sorry! Sorry…” She placed a hand on her arm, the cool metal wracking free a shiver. “How are you feeling?”

Ruby took a moment to take stock of herself. It felt like all her nerves were on fire, leaving her skin aching. “Everything hurts.”

It was a strangely familiar feeling. She’d felt it only once before.

…Right after the attack on Beacon.

The memories flooded back all at once and she jerked upwards, ignoring the protest in her muscles. “Wait, what happened?! Where-” She took in the walls of the refinery office around her, the sight quelling some of her panic but only increasing her confusion. “We’re back at the base? How did we – where’s Salem?”

“It’s okay Ruby.” From the other side of her, Weiss’ calm tone cut through her fearful fog. “We got out, thanks to you.”

“Me?”

Yang’s hand was on her back now. “Yeah! You blasted Salem good sis.”

“I did?” She knew her eyes had activated, but to think it had had an effect… “Where is she now?”

“Retreated, for now. It’s giving Mantle and Atlas a chance for a breather.” Blake was the one to offer from the opposite side of the fire. Held in her hand was the culprit of what had awoken her – a tea kettle.

Ruby looked from it to the room once more, giving it a more critical sweep. She spotted Oscar sitting on a crate nearby, seemingly deep in thought as he stared unseeingly at the ground. Talking with Ozpin then. Her uncle was pacing back and forth on the upper level of the refinery, everything about him restless and angry.

No one else was around.

“Where’s Penny? And Jaune? And- _everyone?_ ”

“They and the Happy Huntresses are collecting as much hard light dust as they can to surround the crater with.” Yang explained. “With the heat off of us for now, it’s the best chance we’ve got to fortify some of our defenses before Salem strikes again.”

Ruby frowned, realizing everyone else was out working hard while she’d been tying up the rest of their team. She started to get up. “Well then what are we doing? Let’s- _ow._ Owowow.”

Weiss guided her back down onto the roll out mat. “ _You_ need to recover first, you dolt.”

“But-”

“She’s right kiddo.” Her uncle called, leaping down from the catwalk to their level, striding over. Her whining must have caught his attention. “Your aura’s practically at nothing. Take some time to rest, okay?”

She knew even if she tried to disagree, there were at least four other people who would leap up to agree with him, so she just pouted and said, “Fine.” A glint of something in his hand drew her eye. “Uh, Uncle Qrow? What’s with the knife?”

“Tch. Just trying to call my dumbass sister.” He tapped the tip of the blade to the palm of his opposite hand. She realized sickly both it and the blade were covered in blood. “It’s an old calling card of ours.”

Ruby processed that, recalling how Raven had leapt from the sky when her mom was struck down, the timing too perfect to be coincidence. Yang had mentioned something similar when she’d come to her rescue after Neo had knocked her out. “Her semblance tells you when you’re hurt?”

“Yeah, and how much too. So, she definitely knows I’m trying to tell her that I’d like to be graced with her presence.” Qrow replied with a roll of his eyes.

“I mean,” Yang spoke up, fire burning underneath her tone, “If she doesn’t want to answer, then why bother?”

He frowned at her. “Firecracker, I ain’t gonna tell you how to feel ‘bout all this. **_I_** don’t even know how I feel. But, she needs to know she’s in danger.” He strode away, slicing the knife harshly along his hand. “Now if she’d just stop being so damn stubborn-!”

As if to spite him, the world split into black and red before their very eyes, the telltale howl permeating the space.

Noticing how immediately Yang tensed up, Ruby shifted closer to her sister until their arms were pressed against each other’s. She herself tried to put on a brave face as she waited for the woman to emerge.

“Finally.” Qrow grumbled under his breath as he tossed away the knife, before raising his voice enough to be heard over the din, “Come on out Rae. You’re safe.”

Despite the assurance, Raven still walked out of the portal with her hand on her sword, inspecting the room guardedly. Wherever she must have anticipated walking into, a broken-down factory in the poor slums of Mantle was definitely not it, but it did get her to relax minutely. The second sweep of her eyes was completely focused on them, though it was hard to say what she was looking for.

Ruby could feel the shaking of Yang’s hand start up, when Raven lingered on her the longest.

“Miss Branwen. Good to see you.” Ozpin, roused by her presence, greeted jovially.

She only returned the sentiment with a suspicious, “Oz.” Her grasp finally fell away from her weapon though as she turned back to Qrow. “Alright little brother, what do you want?”

“Just had a question.” He replied with a flippant casualness that Ruby recognized in herself when she was purposely trying to irritate her own sister.

“You bothered me for an _hour_ to ask a-”

He spoke over her tirade, “So. When exactly were you going to tell me you knew where the Beacon relic was this whole time?”

Quick as a whip, Raven snapped back, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure.” He drawled. “Just like you also don’t know that the intel you gave me after Amber’s attack came from Summer, right?”

It was devastating watching the speed in which Raven put the pieces together, the mask she wore more heavily than the one on her hip cracking as she did.

She looked from Qrow, to Yang, to Oz. “Where’s Knowledge?”

The room was abruptly stifled with regret and shame, easily seen in her uncle’s slumped shoulders, Blake’s lowered ears, Yang’s grit teeth, Weiss and Oz’s averted gazes.

Ruby, with failure crushing her heart and remorse constricting her tongue, could only stare back when the woman’s questing eyes met hers.

It was all the answer Raven needed. “How much does she know?”

“Enough.” Qrow answered shortly.

“All of it.” Ruby corrected. Then, because it was only fair she knew, added, “We all saw it. Salem asked the question right in front of us.”

Her face went pale. “She’s **_here?!_** ”

“Withdrawn, at the moment.” Ozpin interjected, his tone heavy as he looked to one of the industrial-sized picture windows that lined the walls. What a picture it was, the masses crowded and huddling together while the skyline beyond them had grown dark as night, scarlet electricity sparking along the darkness erratically to reveal the features of thousands of Grimm that made up the miasma. “But I fear it won’t be long before she and her forces regroup and swoop back in.”

Raven took a few steps forward, her horror mounting. “That’s – No. This doesn’t make sense.”

“Oh, let me guess? More information from Summer you were hiding?” Her uncle’s hands curled into fists. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me any of this Raven!”

“Not telling you was the point! If no one knew where Choice was, then she’d never find it.”

He threw out his arms. “Oh yeah, great plan! How’s it working for you?”

“Why does it even matter right now?” She waved back to the window. “ _Nothing_ Summer knew had anything to do with genociding an entire continent!”

Qrow stalked over, getting right in her face. “It matters because we could have made different decisions. We led her right here – but we could have put Knowledge back!”

“Where there were no Huntsman left to protect it? She’d only come back for it!” It was uncanny how similar they looked at that moment, eyes blazing and teeth bared. “It was safer to take it away.”

He scoffed. “Was it? Or were you just trying to protect yourself a little longer? I’m sure Summer would be so proud.”

Ruby opened her mouth, about to protest – but Raven’s rage was quicker, shoving her uncle back. “Oh so that’s how you want to do this, huh? Alright, fine. Why don’t you fucking explain to me what you think you’re doing dragging _our kids_ into this war! Really just spitting on her grave, aren’t ya?”

That seemed to be the final straw that had Yang surging to her feet, voice bellowing over the room. “Seriously?! You’re saying that now?”

“Don’t-”

“No, _you_ don’t! You don’t get to come waltzing in here after twenty years and think you have any say in how I live my life!”

Raven rolled her eyes, “First of all, you’re nineteen. You’re also,” She held up a finger, ticking off more as she listed out, “Untrained. Sloppy. High-tempered. And way in over your damn head!”

“You don’t know that!”

“Bullshit I don’t! You signed a death certificate without reading the fine print! I told you,” She glanced to her brother, “I told _all_ of you, that we were fighting a fight we couldn’t win. But no one bothered to listen to me.”

“Well maybe if you acted like you cared about anyone besides yourself, we would have! But that’s too hard for you, isn’t it mom?” Yang spit the last word like it was a curse.

With how angry her uncle and sister were, Ruby knew they missed the split-second glimpse of Raven’s expression falling to hurt before she schooled it back into something cold once more. But that was enough for her to finally get to her feet, speaking over them all firmly, “That’s enough.”

The reaction was instantaneous, the room falling quiet as everyone turned to her.

“Look, we didn’t ask you to come here to yell at you.” She gave a pointed look to Qrow and Yang, before her gaze landed on Raven. “We wanted to tell you that you’re Salem’s new target. So, you could know you needed to run away.”

The laugh that left Raven was as broken as the one she’d once given her mother. “Kid, I don’t think you understand.” She turned back to the window, staring into death itself. “There’s no where left to run anymore.”

* * *

When Ruby was young, the word ‘Raven’ was like a curse in her home. So much so, she started to equate this unseen and unknown woman to an earthquake. The mere mention of her would shake up the household like nothing else, and who it affected most depended on the day. Sometimes it was Yang, who wouldn’t find peace until she broke _something_. Sometimes it was dad, who would sit on the porch steps for a long time, completely silent. Sometimes it was Uncle Qrow, who would leave the house and not be back until all the bars closed.

Despite the years, it seemed Raven still had that nature about her, if Qrow’s abrupt absence and her sister gearing up to follow had anything to say about it. Her only consolations were that at least her uncle would return sober and Yang would only break some Grimm rather than her toys.

“You’re sure you’ll be alright?”

Ruby was thankful for the teacup she could hide her face in, just so Blake couldn’t detect any of the irritation she was feeling. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful to her friend’s honest concerns.

But she also just… didn’t want to be around anyone right now. A hard task to accomplish, when in an overcrowded safety zone, but she’d make do.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” She reassured once she’d lowered the cup. “Yang needs you too. I think I’m just going to rest some more.”

Blake frowned. “Are you sure that’s,” She spared a wary glance towards the second level, “…Safe?”

Ruby followed her sightline to the small office where Raven had holed herself into after the argument. Whether it was to hide away from them or the entire situation was hard to say.

Ozpin had gone up to see her awhile ago. The fact he hadn’t been kicked out yet was probably a good sign.

“Blake, you saw it all too. Do you really think she’s nothing but a bad person?” She asked. Blake didn’t know Raven the way she did or Yang did or hell, even how Weiss did. This was the first time she’d truly met her and Ruby felt she could trust her friend’s opinion to not be clouded by emotion like it was for nearly everyone else in the room.

As she’d suspected, her teammate contemplated the question for a long, quiet moment before answering in slow measure, “I think… that even the worst of people can still do good things. What she did for your mother was noble, but it doesn’t mean the bad she’s done doesn’t need to be atoned for.”

“Right…” It wasn’t quite the answer she’d been hoping for, but maybe that was why she needed to hear it.

Blake started to say something more, but a shout from across the room interrupted her, “Blake! You coming or what?”

Her ears flicked and she looked over her shoulder, then back to her questioningly.

Ruby only smiled. “Go on. I’ll get in touch if I need anything, promise.”

“Yeah, alright.” She agreed easily enough, before she hurried across the room where Yang and Weiss were waiting. “Coming!”

The doors shut with a clang and she was alone.

Ruby sighed, flopping over onto the duvet. She stared up at the ceiling, listlessly tracing the metallic rafting while her thoughts swirled together in a chaotic mess. What were they going to do now? While her eyes may have bought them some time, it was fleeting. They had a few more hours, a day at most, before Salem’s forces came for them. They had to be ready, because now with Knowledge’s power safely in her hands, she wouldn’t hold back a second time. The hard light dust Robyn’s crew had managed to pilfer would only hold so long.

How were they possibly going to protect everyone here? It wouldn’t even be comparable to the situation at Argus. With only a little over a dozen of them to face off against the threat, there was no way they could be everywhere at once.

People were definitely going to die.

Ruby’s idle eyes looked back to the office.

Unless…

She sat up, heart jumping with sudden hope. Raven’s semblance was tied to dad. They could evacuate everyone, right now! Between that and Jaune keeping her aura up, they could probably get it done in a few hours. But they had to get started now, before Salem was on the move again.

Determination zinged through her as Ruby rushed for the stairs.

She got about halfway up them before she paused.

But, was that the right call?

With everyone suddenly just gone, it wouldn’t take long for Salem to figure out what they’d done. Even if they had Raven go to Patch with the citizens, once their enemy deduced that Raven was willing to come to their aid… how quickly would she shift their targets to Yang or Qrow? After everything her mother had sacrificed to keep them all safe, was it right of her to so willfully put their lives in the crossfire that way?

Would she have to convince Yang and Qrow to leave as well? Would they even go?

Then, there was Raven herself. She was a wild card that Ruby had yet to understand. Even if she persuaded her to help them, which she was certain she could, would she willingly leave? She thought the answer was obvious but, after all Ruby had learned today, she wasn’t as sure on that as she once was.

She started up the stairs once more, slower than before. She didn’t know, but she was on to something. But even she’d admit she always led more with her heart than her mind. It was easy to stand for what was right; it was knowing the best way to do so that tended to trip her up. She knew if she brought it up to the others though, they’d help to finetune it.

Until they got back though, she could get started with the hard part – the part she was good at.

As Ruby reached the door, she was surprised to find it was open a crack, just enough to hear Ozpin’s voice slipping through.

“-Really quite unexpected, knowing we had another helping hand at Haven. I was wondering why things went so oddly well.”

A scoff. “Spare me. If I was that good at manipulating things, the little heiress wouldn’t have gotten stabbed.” The next part was so low, Ruby almost missed it. “I told Vernal to go _easy_.”

“Ah yes, plans never do go quite according to one’s machinations, as I’ve well discovered over the centuries. Such is the plight of allowing people to make their own choices, but I think we’d both agree that’s a gift that can’t be forsaken, yes?” After months without him, hearing that familiar mirth and kindness was like meeting an old friend again, leaving Ruby yearning with nostalgia for simpler times, when the world wasn’t at stake and her biggest enemy was her test scores.

As the silence held on, she shook off the memories and reached for the doorknob, deciding now was as good a time as any to interrupt. Light spilled into the dark room, almost touching the crates that Raven and Ozpin were sitting on. They both turned to her, their forms illuminated in the gloomy shadows cast from the gray clouds that clung to Solitas in a permanent storm.

“Hello Miss Rose, is everything alright?” Ozpin greeted her, gentle but guarded.

She wondered if he thought she would blame him for her mother’s choices too. “Yeah. Everyone’s gone off to help with the defenses.” She shifted from foot to foot. “I was hoping I could talk to Raven for a bit? Alone?”

The two shared a look, but when Raven nodded Ozpin got to his feet. “Of course.” As he passed her, she caught a flash of yellow, then Oscar was whispering, “Good luck.” She smiled back at him until the shutting door separated them.

She turned back around and was immediately pinned by that blood-red glare.

“Come to lecture me?” Raven asked sharply.

Ruby took a slow breath. _Remember, she’s not as scary as she pretends to be._ She squared her shoulders and strode forward. “No. Though you probably should be ready to hear it from Yang and Uncle Qrow again when they get back.”

“Oh, believe me I know.” Her eyes rolled back to the window, frown becoming more pronounced.

Ruby took the spot Ozpin had vacated. “I’m sorry they were so harsh. They’re just angry.”

“Yeah well, can’t say I didn’t expect it. Or that I don’t deserve it.” She sighed. “Figured you’d be the same.”

She sounded so weary.

Ruby tried to hold onto the advice Blake had given her or to mimic the way her family felt or even pull up the misgivings she’d had back at Haven.

Instead, all she could see was the woman her mom believed in, the one she entrusted her last request with.

“It’d be easy to be angry with you. Because you’re here.” Ruby clasped her hands between her knees, murmuring like she was telling a secret, “But it’s mom I’m angry at. Isn’t that awful? She gives her life for the world and I’m mad at her for it.”

She heard the crate creak as Raven shifted, leaning back on her palms. “You kidding? I’ve been mad at her for fifteen years. Always told her that her kindheartedness was going to kill her, one day. I hate that I was right.”

“Do you… hate her?”

“No.” She shook her head, smiling for the first time. “I admire her.”

Ruby blinked. “You do?”

“Always.” When Raven looked at her this time, the heat that had been there every time before had dissipated, leaving something almost kind in its wake. “You know, when I first came to Vale, I was sure I had the whole world figured out. That people were all terrible and only looking out for themselves. So, when I met Summer I remember thinking, ‘no way is this girl for real’.” She chuckled. “I couldn’t fathom someone like her. I thought she had to be naïve, clueless. Lost in some fantasy she’d made up, where people were intrinsically good. It was kind of annoying, really. She’d be the type of person to trust a pickpocket to hold her wallet – which she did once. Took me hours to track the little bastard down and get it back.”

None of what was being said was news to Ruby. Whenever dad or Uncle Qrow spoke of her mom, it was always with that same sort of reverence – until the person she imagined in her head was nothing short of perfect. But while Raven seemed to hold her up to a similar standard, her words sounded borderline exasperated, as if her mom’s antics had been truly exhausting.

It kind of made Ruby wonder if this was the same way Weiss viewed her, even as she brought her coffee after a brutal cram session.

The thought made her smile. “So, what made you change your mind?”

“Honestly, I think she was just so persistent, one day I just gave up.” Raven snorted, idly pulling at the red beads around her neck. This close, Ruby could see they had designs, faded from time, etched on them. One with feathers, one with dragons, and one with roses. “But also because… I started to understand. It wasn’t that she thought everyone was good, but that they all had an equal capability to be good. She’d tell me all the time that just because you make a bad decision one day, it doesn’t mean you can’t make a better one tomorrow.”

Ruby perked up a bit, at that. “Dad used to say that to me a lot, when I was a kid. I didn’t know it came from mom.”

“Oh Gods, it was practically her motto. It was so aggravating! But...” Her fingers curled around the rose beads. “It was also nice. Summer and I may not have seen eye to eye on, well, almost everything really. But no matter what, she always thought the best of me. She made me want to be that person she believed I could be and so, I tried. And, for a time… I found I liked the me I was.”

The omission of what came after that time needed no clarification.

Yet, the fact Raven was saying it at all told Ruby a league of things she once could only guess at.

…She hoped Yang might one day be able to come to those same conclusions. Maybe then, she could finally put her own turmoil to rest.

“I think you should try and like the you that you are now, too.” Ruby told her confidently, pleased with herself when Raven just stared at her in surprise. “And thank you, for telling me all this. It’s always nice to hear about mom.”

She followed her gaze when it drifted back to the sight outside yet again. “Not like I have anything left to lose.”

Whatever small levity they had found died out, as they stared at the overwhelming impossibility before them. Just as Salem’s army did, dread and terror also edged closer, threatening to overtake them.

“We’ll stop her.” Ruby assured.

“No. We won’t.” Raven bowed forward, coal dark hair so like Yang’s tumbling forth until it hid her face. A fire long gone out. “I _tried_ , when we had Choice. I had to of made a thousand different requests. But every time when it came to Salem, the answer was always the same. ‘It can’t be done’.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. That was why, back at Haven, Raven had seemed so certain of what she was saying. She had known the truth well before any of them – and the cruelest twist of fate was, she couldn’t tell them how she’d come across that fact.

“How are we supposed to beat someone beyond even the Gods’ powers?”

That question, the weight of it, felt like it could crush them. Without the solution, there was no relief from the pressure. As Ruby got to her feet, she knew she could only stand against its attempts to hold her down as she said, “I don’t know. But I do know giving up is the wrong call.”

She turned to the other woman, seeing in her desperate, beseeching expression what the years of holding onto her mother’s last hope had done to her.

“I know how hard it must have been for you, holding onto that secret this long. It must have been so lonely. I wouldn’t blame you if you want to stop fighting. No one can ask more of you than you’ve already given. But,” As her mom had all that time ago, she held her hand out to her. “If there’s still something inside of you that wants to keep going, then we’d be happy to have you on one last mission.”

Raven looked from the offer to her. A smile pulled at the edges of her lips even as she shook her head. “Heh. Alright.”

She reached out, clasping their hands together.

“One more time.”

**Author's Note:**

> A few things:   
> -Weird choice to do a team STRQ story in Ruby's POV but well, I also did a Taiqrow story in Zwei's POV so, I guess I have no boundaries lol.  
> -Yes I know. For anyone who has the fairytale book, it reveals what Choice actually does. Which I think is boring for how well protected it is. Therefore, more devastating consequences.  
> -Will I ever stop trying to make Raven a good person? No. Never.  
> -Qrow: Needs to tell sister she's in danger  
> Also Qrow: Immediately forgets that and has an argument with her.


End file.
